This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Toronto’s cold brew coffee scene seeing a nitro boost

Nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee is the latest trend to help you cool down with a caffeine kick.

Brett Johnston pours a cold brew coffee at Pilot Coffee Roasters in Leslieville. Pilot's cold brew is made from a Guatemalan bean and was launched six weeks ago. The brew, available on tap or in cans, settles to a dark coffee with a little head. (Steve Russell / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

A new cold coffee beverage treated with nitrogen gas, a method used by beer brewers, is heating up Toronto’s coffee market. It’s called the “nitro cold brew,” the latest in coffee fads.

If 2015 was the summer of cold brew — coffee steeped in cold water for hours on end — then 2016 is the summer of nitro.

The drink is on tap across the GTA, at cafes from Balzac’s Coffee Roasters in the Distillery District to Tribeca Coffee in Oakville. Even coffee goliath Starbucks has released the trendy beverage in select U.S. cafes, though it has yet to hit Canada.

“(Nitrogen) gives it this silky smooth, creamy mouth feel that enhances the attribute of the cold brew even further,” says Mitchell Stern with Station Cold Brew Coffee in the Junction. “You kind of feel like you’re drinking a beer.”

Article Continued Below

The brewing process begins the same way a regular cold brew coffee does: coffee grounds are steeped in tanks filled with cool to room temperature water for at least 15 hours before it is filtered. Then the process turns to the beer industry for inspiration, as the cold brew is transferred to beer tanks where it is “nitro-ed” — a method of infusing coffee with nitrogen at high-pressure.

The nitro cold brew cascades down the glass when poured from a can or tap, creating what Brett Johnston of Pilot Coffee Roasters calls a “billowing waterfall effect” as the gas separates out of the coffee and creates a beer style “head” on top.

Since nitrogen is a flavourless and odourless gas, it doesn’t alter the taste of the cold brew coffee. Nitro cold brew is all about the texture: that creamy Guinness-beer style texture. Beer is typically treated with carbon dioxide, but stouts like Guinness are treated with nitrogen for a silkier, darker effect.

“There’s a sensation that sort of rolls on your tongue when you drink it with the nitrogen,” says Balzac’s president and founder Diana Olsen. “It makes it so much richer and creamier. And all it is, is nitrogen — you would swear you’re drinking something with cream in it.”

Nitro cold brews have been around for a few years in the U.S. and its popularity is largely credited to Texas company Cuvée Coffee and Portland’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters, who were among the first to serve nitro cold brews on tap.

“Nitrogen has had so much attention because it gives you this wonderful rich texture,” says Pilot’s Johnston, who calls 2016 an “exciting time for specialty coffee.”

“I really see iterations of this cold brew category having a massive impact on what’s next in coffee. It’s really a massively growing segment of our industry,” Johnston says.

The beverage is available on tap at dozens of cafes, restaurants and breweries in the GTA for around $5 a pop. Coffee drinkers can find it at locations serving Pilot, Propeller, Balzac’s and Station Cold Brew coffee, including The Loose Moose on Front St., Creeds Coffee Bar on Dupont St., and The Scullery on Carlton St. It is available in cans by Pilot Coffee Roasters at dozens of spots, including grocery stores (McEwan) and art galleries (including the Art Gallery of Ontario).

More than just ‘nitro-ed’

If gassed up coffee is too bold for some drinkers, the Star has round up some popular new concoctions of cold brew and some fresh varieties of iced coffee around the city, all for $5 or less.

Nitro Flash Brew

A flash cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen is poured from a tap at Boxcar Social.
(Boxcar Social)

It’s not an official name for the new beverage at Boxcar Social in Riverside and Summerhill, but Nitro Flash Brew captures the difference in the café’s method of brewing the nitrogenated iced coffee. Instead of brewing the grounds in cold water overnight, they “flash cool” hot coffee over ice before transferring it to kegs and serving on tap like other nitro cold brews.

Bottled Cold Brew

Dark Horse offers a cold brew coffee in a bottle. (Dark Horse)

Though bottled cold brew isn’t nitro infused — it’s more difficult to pressurize bottles than cans — it still provides a refreshing dose of caffeine for summer. Try the organic Guatemalan coffee by JJ Bean at Dark Horse; Station Cold Brew also bottles a variety of their cold brew.

A twist on the refreshing “root beer float” dessert, the “Cold Brew Float” is offered at Aroma Espresso Bar and Balzac’s Coffee Roasters around the city, among other cafes. The indulgent beverage is made by combining an iced coffee with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Golden Latte (the ‘Goldie Hawn’)

The Goldie Hawn from Jimmy's Coffee is made with turmeric, honey, ginger, espresso and milk. (Jimmy's Coffee)

Jimmy’s Coffee, with locations in Kensington Market, and the Fashion and Discovery districts, offers up a Drake-themed summer menu, featuring “caramel drizzy” on some cold beverages. But the star of the show is the “Golden Latte,” also called the “Goldie Hawn,” made with turmeric, honey, ginger, espresso and milk.

Iced AmeriCoco

The Iced AmeriCoco from Ella's Uncle. (Ella's Uncle)

This signature summer drink at both Ella’s Uncle locations on Dundas and Bloor Sts. near Ossington Ave. is a trendy twist on the classic iced Americano. With the rise in popularity of coconut water, the Ella’s Uncle team created the “Iced AmeriCoco,” two shots of espresso poured over ice and coconut water. “It’s the perfect hangover pick-me-up,” says co-owner Mike Craig.

Raspberry Cold Brew

A raspberry cold brew from Rooster Coffee. (Rooster Coffee)

Eastside staple Rooster Coffee added a splash of their all natural raspberry iced tea to their cold brew for what they call a “burst of summer.” The cold brew, made with the “intense, dark chocolate and berry notes” of Atomic Rooster’s Ethiopian Kilenso and Brazil Cachoeira, is steeped for 18 hours.

Affogato

The Affogato from Aroma Espresso Bar. (Aroma Espresso Bar)

Affogato is Italian for “drowned,” and what coffee drinker doesn’t want to be drowned in this summertime espresso goodness? A shot of strong espresso coffee poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a quick dose of refreshment for a hot day. Find it at Aroma Espresso Bars and many other cafes, including the White Squirrel on Queen St. W.

Iced Mocha Latte

The Coffee Tree Roastery in Bloor West Village offers a version of the iced mocha latte with creamy coconut milk and chocolate sundae sauce, shaken with iced Americano.
(Coffee Tree)

An iced mocha latte is a popular summer treat. The Coffee Tree Roastery in Bloor West Village offers a version of the refreshing beverage made with creamy coconut milk, chocolate sundae sauce, shaken with iced Americano.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com